Color of Changeorg Education Fund

Overview

Mission

Color of change.org education fund exists to empower our members - black americans and our allies to make decision makers more responsive to the concerns of black americans and to bring about positive social change for everyone.

What it reported doing in 2024

Media, democracy and economic justice: color of change's ongoing economic justice work holding corporations accountable, pushing to ensure that the wealthiest among us pay their fair share, and protecting the safety net of critical government benefits and services needed by the most vulnerable is aimed at ensuring that all americans are represented, served, and protected, regardless of race or class. Color of change has leveraged our members' voices to push back against corporations who are exploiting lowwage workers and partnered with groups on the ground fighting for paid sick leave and raising the minimum wage. During the pandemic, color of change was focused on pushing back against corporate overreach in economic policies and continued to identify and expose corporations that are members of organizations that advocate for policies that are harmful to black communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
455569879
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
New York, NY, USA
Phone
6463953711
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 61
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.8%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 75.8%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $13.39 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6.7%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.37; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.21; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.3%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.8% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.6% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.8% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.8% of revenue deployed · 75.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $12M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $522K · 11 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $1.4M reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 annual filings from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • RASHAD ROBINSON (PRESIDENT (THRU 12/24)): $522,327 total reported compensation
  • PORTIA ALLEN-KYLE (INTERIM ED (FROM 1/25)): $295,178 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.